Newbie

[Bacms]

You are starting small, and your money is tight, so think small. I dont see any need for pocket jigs to make a shelf or cabinet that is recessed into the walls.

Many years ago in a previous life I owned a tropical fish shop, making my own tanks and stands. I never made a "proper" carpentry joint on any of them. If looks did not matter, pieces of rough swan timber overlapped and screwed got the job done. If looks were important, I used wood faced conti board over a soft wood timber frame.

The most important thing in any hobby is to enjoy what you do. If you try to get too complicated too soon the frustration of learning how work all the jigs and equipment properly will drive you away.

What are the dimensions of your tank? 30 litres is quite small (only 30 kgs weight) and sounds like a 2ft long,so not a major issue on building strength unless the overall shelf is 3 or 4 times that length.
If the tank is less than 3 ft long use a thin sheet of polystyrene under neath to stop any grit from scratching or breaking the glass.

When youve made your first item, and decide you want to make the next one better, THAT's when you start to buy the tools you think you will want.

It is a small cube of 30x30x35cm so just 1ft long so it seems it won't bit a problem at all and I am just overthinking this. The cabinet does need to be about 3ft in total but I want to divide in half so don't think it will a problem.
I understand what you say about equipment but to be honest I am the kind of person who loves to try new toys so I actually want to buy everything at the moment I am just trying to be reasonable and not spend a fortune on things I will probably never use again. And budget wise I can probably spend about £300 in tools for this so can definitely afford one saw the question is which type is the most useful. I am tempted by a sliding mitre as it would allow me to build the structure that I could then lay sheets on tops and sides which I could get pre-cut, but at the same type a circular saw allows me to cut both but it would be less precise I am guessing. Does £300 also need to include clamps which adds up quickly

 

[Bacms]

Also there seems to be a ridgeons near my house is this any better for wood than B&Q/Wickes?

 

[sunnybob]

I have a combination mitre saw / table saw, which is very useful. I'm not convinced of the need for a sliding saw though. One downside of them is they take up a lot of room in a small workshop.

whatever you decide, make sure you have fun.

 

[MattRoberts]

I am tempted by a sliding mitre as it would allow me to build the structure that I could then lay sheets on tops and sides which I could get pre-cut, but at the same type a circular saw allows me to cut both but it would be less precise I am guessing. Does £300 also need to include clamps which adds up quickly

Sliding mitre saws tend to not be very accurate until you get to the £500+ range. You'd be more accurate with a track saw to be honest.

 

[Bacms]

I am tempted by a sliding mitre as it would allow me to build the structure that I could then lay sheets on tops and sides which I could get pre-cut, but at the same type a circular saw allows me to cut both but it would be less precise I am guessing. Does £300 also need to include clamps which adds up quickly

Sliding mitre saws tend to not be very accurate until you get to the £500+ range. You'd be more accurate with a track saw to be honest.

Just to make sure we are on the same by a track saw you mean a plunge saw? Don't these tools have completely different purposes though? As far as I understand the track saw is only useful to cut on the track so I can only use to cut sheets of material. So what do you use to cut small bits of wood? A circular saw of a jigsaw or just use an hand saw? Also can you guys recommend some brands and models for the power tools that have been recommended just so I have an idea of prices for each.

 

[transatlantic]

I am tempted by a sliding mitre as it would allow me to build the structure that I could then lay sheets on tops and sides which I could get pre-cut, but at the same type a circular saw allows me to cut both but it would be less precise I am guessing. Does £300 also need to include clamps which adds up quickly

Sliding mitre saws tend to not be very accurate until you get to the £500+ range. You'd be more accurate with a track saw to be honest.

Just to make sure we are on the same by a track saw you mean a plunge saw? Don't these tools have completely different purposes though? As far as I understand the track saw is only useful to cut on the track so I can only use to cut sheets of material. So what do you use to cut small bits of wood? A circular saw of a jigsaw or just use an hand saw? Also can you guys recommend some brands and models for the power tools that have been recommended just so I have an idea of prices for each.

Track saws aren't just for sheet material, they can be used on anything really. For example, you might want to rip long lengths to a specific width or cross cut something to a specific length. It's not ideal for cross cutting as you have to fashion something to support the track when the piece is too small. They're ideally suited with a perforated table top, such as the Festool MFT, which makes it very versitle.

For straight crosscuts, I still think a mitre saw is a very worth while investment (sliding or not). Jigsaws are mostly only good for curved or rough work. It's difficult to get them cutting straight and square (as the blade has little support, it tends to wander), especially with the cheaper models. Circular saws on the other hand are much better for this task, and when paired with a guide clamp provide more options. Nothing wrong with a hand saw, but they of course require skill and experience before you'll be getting clean, straight and square cuts.

As for brands, you want to be looking at Makita, Dewalt, Bosch, Hitachi etc, but they're pricey!

 

[MattRoberts]

Yes, a plunge saw with tracks. They're not just for cutting sheet materials, they can cut any size of wood. Admittedly small pieces aren't as easy as large, but you mentioned shelving and TV cabinet in your post, which have mainly large pieces.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Jigsaws - "Jigsaws are mostly only good for curved or rough work. It's difficult to get them cutting straight and square."
With a good jigsaw and top class blades it's not difficult. My twenty year old Bosch, veteran of about thirty tons of wood (at least) still cuts straight and square. I do have to hammer the sole plate flat sometimes, but other than about five minutes in a year it's the only power saw other than a bandsaw that I use.

 

[transatlantic]

Jigsaws - "Jigsaws are mostly only good for curved or rough work. It's difficult to get them cutting straight and square."
With a good jigsaw and top class blades it's not difficult. My twenty year old Bosch, veteran of about thirty tons of wood (at least) still cuts straight and square. I do have to hammer the sole plate flat sometimes, but other than about five minutes in a year it's the only power saw other than a bandsaw that I use.

Jigsaws are mostly only good for curved or rough work. It's difficult to get them cutting straight and square (as the blade has little support, it tends to wander), especially with the cheaper models.

 

[Bacms]

Ok I think you guys got me convinced and I will 'plunge' fora track saw. I know the festool seems to be the favourite but it really is outside my budget although I can stretch to the makita SP6000J1 which is available at axminster with 2 guides and storage box for £330 which is just slight above my budget. So unless has really strong opinions against it I think that will be it. I have been drawing plans for the stuff I want to build and I will rarely have to do cross cuts so hopefully it won't be too much of a problem

 

[MattRoberts]

Well I have the scheppach pl75 - £250 including a 1.4m rail. I'd recommend that personally

 

[Bacms]

Well I have the scheppach pl75 - £250 including a 1.4m rail. I'd recommend that personally

That is a very tempting price that's for sure and one I wasn't considering since I don't know the brand so thank you very much for the heads up. The extra depth of cut is definitely very tempting. Does the blade that comes with it good enough for plywood or should I purchase a different TCT blade for that purpose?

 

[transatlantic]

I have been drawing plans for the stuff I want to build and I will rarely have to do cross cuts so hopefully it won't be too much of a problem

Are you sure you're not getting cross cutting and rip cutting confused? It's usually rip cutting people do less often.

 

[Bacms]

I have been drawing plans for the stuff I want to build and I will rarely have to do cross cuts so hopefully it won't be too much of a problem

Are you sure you're not getting cross cutting and rip cutting confused? It's usually rip cutting people do less often.

No I know the difference it is just that with cabinet I will use it mainly for breaking mdf/plywood into rectangles/squares so the only time I need to cross cut is to make the feet and so on for the cabinets. I still think that I need a mitre saw if I want to use wood rather than sheets but for now I think the circular saw will be more versatile

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Yes but you need a crosscut for sheet goods, not a rip.

 

[Bacms]

Yes but you need a crosscut for sheet goods, not a rip.

Now you got me confused does that mean a track saw won't be able to cross cut sheets?

 

[MattRoberts]

That is a very tempting price that's for sure and one I wasn't considering since I don't know the brand so thank you very much for the heads up. The extra depth of cut is definitely very tempting. Does the blade that comes with it good enough for plywood or should I purchase a different TCT blade for that purpose?

The blade it comes with is a 40 tooth, so it's fine for ply. You could always get a second 60+ tooth blade as well if you're worried.

And a track saw is fine for rip and cross cuts - not sure why it's been raised as an issue

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Sorry, the way the OP said "the only time I need to cross cut is to make the feet and so on" seemed to infer that he was expecting to use a rip blade for everything else.

 

[MattRoberts]

Ah. Well a 40 tooth blade would be decent for both rip and cross cutting, so he should be golden

 

[Terry - Somerset]

A slightly different view.

A tracksaw is great for cutting up sheet materials - buy an 8 x 4 sheet and chop it up yourself. They can no doubt be used to crosscut lengths of timber with extra jigs/aggro but this is not what they are really designed to do.

A mitre saw is the right tool for cutting to length but of no use at all in cutting sheet material wider than the capacity of the saw (possibly double if you turn the sheet over to cut the other side although the finish may be questionable).

I have a fairly cheap sliding mitre - it will cut up to 13in (approx 32cm) width which makes it useful for shelving. It will also cut up to approx 60mm depth which is fine for most framework etc. It has been used for decking and flooring amongst other things. It probably won't do fine woodwork, but for general use is (in my view) high up the list of essential kit.